Israel and the al-Shifa Hospital

It’s likely legal and almost certainly won’t matter.

Bowe Bergdahl’s Conviction Overturned

The trial judge had a conflict of interest.

Age, Illness, and American Politics

The controversies over our geriatric Congress continue.

Pentagon Opposes Helping Prosecute Russian War Crimes

A wrongheaded if longstanding position.

Brits Deporting Migrants to Rwanda

A legal but unsavory solution to a problem.

The ‘Crime of the Century’ Didn’t Happen

Three-and-a-half years and almost 6 million tax dollars have produced nothing.

Putin’s Nuclear Gambit

The threat is not idle and the options for responding are not good.

QEII and the Empire

How much blame did the 70-year constitutional monarch share?

Biden and bin Salman

An embarrassing photo demonstrates the perils of leading the free world.

Russia’s Diplomatic Isolation

The West continues to close Moscow off.

Meanwhile, In The Rest Of The Russian Empire…

Putin must be worrying about losing what little empire he has built.

Is Autocracy Really Winning?

A depressing magazine piece argues it is.

Evangelical Politics in the Time of Polarization and Covid

A piece in The Atlantic inspires thoughts.

A U.S. Marine opens the door as President Joe Biden prepares to disembark Marine One, Saturday, July 3, 2021, at Antrim County Airport in Bellaire, Michigan. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz) A U.S. Marine opens the door as President Joe Biden prepares to disembark Marine One, Saturday, July 3, 2021, at Antrim County Airport in Bellaire, Michigan. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

Biden Blamed for Afghan Fiasco

The collapse is not his doing. But he’s accountable for the poor planning.

Donald Rumsfeld, 1932-2021

He was both the youngest and oldest man to run the Pentagon.

The Politicization of Math Class

The least controversial subject in school is suddenly controversial.

President Joe Biden takes notes doing a G7 Leaders’ Virtual Meeting Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in the White House Situation Room. President Joe Biden takes notes doing a G7 Leaders’ Virtual Meeting Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in the White House Situation Room.

Biden Declares Armenian Genocide a Genocide

The President has overturned decades of US foreign policy and alienated a NATO ally for, well, reasons.

Chauvin’s Life in Prison

Don’t believe everything you see on TV.

Leaving Afghanistan After Only 20 Years

Four administrations and two decades later, it’s about to be over.

Eighteen Years of Blogging

Some reflections

The Office of Legal Counsel

Holding the president accountable is hard.

SCOTUS Rules Asylum Seekers Can’t Challenge Rejection in Court

A 7-2 decision by the highest court in the land is less decisive than the numbers suggest.

Kosovo President and Opposition Leader Indicted for War Crimes

A reckoning for 2500 Kosovar Serb civilians who were slaughtered is at hand.

Our Awful Criminal Justice System

A stroll down memory lane.

QAnon Conspiracist Republican Senate Nominee from Oregon

Jo Rae Perkins may be a nut, but she won a four-person primary.

Trump’s Threat To Attack Iranian Cultural Sites Would Probably Be A War Crime

President Trump’s threat to attack Iranian cultural sites would most likely constitute a war crime if he actually carried it out.

Arizona Cop Under Investigation For Abusing Quadrapalegic Teenager

An inexcusable assault on an utterly defenseless African-American teenager.

Trump Clears American Soldiers Involved In War Crimes

Against the advice of his top military advisers, President Trump has cleared three American soldiers of war crimes, sending a horrible signal to the world and to the troops in the field.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Wins Nobel Peace Prize

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize Laureate comes from a part of the world that most people almost never think about.

Whistleblowers vs Leakers vs Spies

Yes, officials who follow the law are “whistleblowers.”

Robert Mugabe, Independence Leader Who Sent His Nation To Disaster, Dead At 95

Robert Mugabe led a nation to independence only to become a dictator who destroyed its economy, has died at the age of 95.

Donald Trump’s Ninety Minutes Hate

Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail last night with another one of his red meat speeches. The analogies it causes one to draw are chilling to say the least.

Trump Reportedly Will Pardon American Servicemen Convicted Of War Crimes

President Trump is reportedly planning to pardon several American servicemen convicted of war crimes, an action that would be an insult to everyone who has ever worn an American uniform.

Attorney General Opens Another Investigation Into Origins Of Russia Probe

Attorney General William Barr has opened a new investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation, a move that seems suspiciously political.

[Death penalty - image of a stretcher with shackles] [Death penalty - image of a stretcher with shackles]

Supreme Court Rules No Right to ‘Painless Death’

The replacement of Anthony Kennedy with Brett Kavanaugh is already having a significant impact.

The Saudis Tortured An American Citizen, Trump Looked The Other Way

The Saudis tortured an American citizen, but the Trump Administration doesn’t care.

The Dangers Of U.S. Military Intervention In Venezuela

American military intervention in Venezuela would make the situation in that country worse, not better.

A Reminder about North Korea

And a reminder about how little the current POTUS understands.

Should There Be A Political Statute Of Limitations On Acting Like An Idiot?

The cases of Ralph Northam and Mark Herring raise a question of when, if ever, something we did in the past should follow us for the rest of our lives.

Trump Selects Former Attorney General William Barr To Be New Attorney General

William Barr, who served as Attorney General under President George H.W. Bush, has been selected to replace Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.

John Bolton’s Absurd Excuse For Ignoring The Evidence Of Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder

National Security Adviser John Bolton offered an utterly absurd explanation for why he had not listened to the tape of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.

Saudi Foreign Minister Blames Khashoggi Death On ‘Rogue Operation’

The Saudi Foreign Minister expanded on his nation’s utterly implausible explanation for the death of Jamal Khashoggi

Saudis Acknowledge Jamal Khashoggi Is Dead, Offer Utterly Ridiculous Explanation

The Saudi Arabian Government is finally acknowledging that Jamal Khashoggi is dead. Their explanation for his death, though, is too absurd to be believed.

Saudis Looking To Pin Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder On Fall Guy

The Saudis are now apparently getting ready to push out a fall guy for the death of Jamal Khashoggi, an explanation as absurd as all the others they have offered to date.

Evidence Mounts Against Saudi Crown Prince In Khashoggi Murder

The evidence linking the Saudi Crown Prince to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi seems irrefutable.

Saudi Arabia Cooking Up Impossible To Believe Defense In Khashoggi Murder

Saudi Arabia is reportedly developing an explanation for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi that defies credulity.

Democracy and Institutional Design III: Towards a More Complex Discussion of Democracy

Part III is here (a lot sooner than Part II was).

In The Khashoggi Crisis, Trump’s Greed And Moral Cowardice Are On Full Display

President Trump is choosing money and moral cowardice over human life in his response to the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi.

Defining Totalitarianism

A quick hit and run post to provide a proper definition.

James Mattis On The Way Out? It Sure Looks That Way

Reports about tension between Defense Secretary James Mattis and President Trump are becoming louder, and it’s being suggested that Mattis could be out of office after the midterms.